System of control



J. A. CLARKE, JR.

SYSTEM OF CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED 001a, 1917.

PatentedSept. 28, 1920.

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jaw/vhf i'b/rdfar fZurl/r (4r 4 cars jrwwi AT'i'ORNEY J. A. CLARKE, JR.

SYSTEM 0F CONTROL,

APPucmoN FILED OCT- 3. 1917.

1,354,168. PatentedSept. 28, 1920.

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3cars 4mm fan/s WITNESSES: INYENTOR m, ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PJENT QFFZCE.

JOHN .A. CLARKE, JR., OF EDGEvVOOD PARK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTING- HOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VAN IA.

SYSTEM OF CONTROL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

Application filed October 3, 1917. Serial No. 194,427.

To all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. CLARKE, Jr., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Edgewood Park, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Systems of Control, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to systems of control and especially to magnetic blowout systems such as are employed in controllers for multiple-unit train systems and the like.

Heretofore, in multiple-unit systems utilizing a common controller for governing one or more control units or vehicles, considerable operating difiiculty has been encountered in connection with the magnetic blowout efiect in the controller, which effect has varied in accordance with the number of series-related control units, since all of the current for the several auxiliary control systems, in the case of a common master controller, has traversed the common magnetic blowout coil. Since the magnetic blow out action has been proportional to the square of the current, on account of the effect of both the current flowing across the arc and that traversing the blowout coil, the blowout action has been abnormally weal; in the case of low currents and unduly strong in the event of high currents. Consequently, since the available space in a master controller permits only a relatively small amount of copper to be wound into the blowout coil, the ampere-turns required during train operation to produce the desired maximum blowout eifect have necessitated worxing the coil to its maximum heat capacity. How ever, when a single car was operated, the current traversing the blowout coil was rela tively small, and the ampereturns produced by the coil of relatively heavy current capacity has not been sufficient to provide an effective arc-extinguishing effect.

It is the object of my present invention, therefor, to provide, in conjunction with a magnetic-blowout coil of the class in question, a relatively simple and convenient shunting means, whereby the current in the blowout coil may be maintained substantially constant, irrespective of the number of series-related control units or vehicles. In this way, the total magnetic blowout effeet will be directly proportional to the current 1n the arc to be extinguished, since the current traversing the blowout coil remains substantially constant.

More specifically stated, it is the object of my invention to utilize, for the abovementioned regulating effect, a standard tubular resistance element and a plurality of contact terminals which may be used in different combinations to variably shunt the olowout coil and thus maintain the desired substantially constant current in the coil itself. I

My invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l is a diagrammatic view of a multiple-unit, vehicle-control system embodying the invention. Fig. 2 to 5, inclusive, are diagrammatic views of one form of my variable shunting system for maintaining a substantially constant blowout-coil current, irrespective of the number of cars in operation. Fig. 6 is a View, par.- tially diagrammatic and partially in front elevation, of a. modified form of my invention. Fig. 7 is a view, in end elevation, of a portion of the apparatus that is shown in Fig. 6; and F ig. 8 is a view, corresponding to Fig. 6, of a further modification of my invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, the system shown comprises suitable supply-circuit conductors Trolley and Ground; a plurality of railway vehicles or control units of the familiar multiple-unit type which are diagrammatically represented by certain sets of control circuits respectively designated as First car, Second car, Third and Fourth car; and a master controller MC for governing, in common, the several multiple-unit control systems.

The master controller MC is of a familiar type, comprising a movable drum body 6, upon which is mounted a plurality of suitable contact segments 7 a stationary finger-base 8 that carries a plurality of cooperating control fingers 9 for engaging the contact segments 7 in accordance with the desired sequence of operation; a case or cover 10 through the bottom plate of which a suitable bundle of leads or conductors 11 extends; a blowout coil 12 of any familiar construction for the purpose of extinguishing the arcs that form between one or more of the control fingers 9 and the corres 3'onding contact segments 7; my variable resistor 13, which is connected in variable shunt relation to the blowout coil 12; and a suitable operating handle 14.

The customary train-line conductors 15 extend along each car of the train and are interconnected in series relation by the usual jumpers 16, the train-line conductors 15 of the first car being connectedto the master controller conductors 11 in a familiar man ner, whereby the common master controller MC is adapted to govern the entire number of control units, which are represented, in a simple manner, by a plurality of sets of switch-actuating coils 17 or the like.

Referring to Fig. 2 to Fig. 5, the apparatus shown comprises the magnetic-blowout coil 12 and the variable shunt- .ing resistor 13 therefor. The resistor 13 may conveniently take the form of a standard tubular resistance element 31 which is provided witha plurality of band terminals 32 and 33, near the ends of the element, and a third bandterminal 34 that is located on the resistance element at a point twice as far from the end band 32 as from the 7 other band terminal 33. The preferred relative resistance values are as follows:' The resistance betweenthe band terminals 32 and 34 is substantially equal to the resistance of the blowout coil 12, while the resistance between the band terminals 33 and 34 equals, approximately, one-half of that value.

A plurality of alined stationary contact clips 35 to 39, inclusive, of a familiar type, are irregularly spaced for the purpose of engaging the several band terminals of the resistance element in various combinations, as illustrated in Fig. 2 to Fig. 5, inclusive. The contact clip 37 is connected, through conductor 40, to one end of the blowout coil 12, while the other end of the blowout coil is connected, through conductor 41, to both of the contact clips 36 and 38.

;As indicated by the accompanying legends, the resistance-element positions that are shown in Fig. 2 to Fig. 5, inclusive, are adapted for l-car, 2-car, 3-car, and 4-car operations, respectively. In Fig. 2, it will be noted that contact clips 38 and 39 engage band terminals 32 and 34, respectively, whereby the resistance element 31 is entirely disconnected from the blowout coil 12 or, in other words, the blowout coilis shunted inclusive,

by an infinite resistance. Consequently, the

entire control-circuit current for single-car operation traverses the magnetic-blowout coil 12, and, by suitable design thereof, a sufiiciently strong magnetic-blowout effect will be produced in the master controller- In Fig. 3, corresponding to multiple-unit operation of two cars, the resistance element 31 has been reversed in direction and the band terminals 33, 34 and 32, respectively engage contact clips 35, 36 and 37. Consequently, the larger section of the resistance element, namely, in the illustrated case, ap-

proximately two-thirds of the total resistance of the element, is shunted across the magnetic blowout coil 12. In this way, substantially the same current traverses the blowout coil 12 during 2-car operation as flows through the coil-under conditions of single-car operation.

In Fig. 5, which corresponds to multiple.-

unit operation of four cars, the resistance tube 31 has been invented with respect to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, and the band terminals 32, 34 and 33 placed in contact with clips 36, 37 and 38, respectively. Consequently, the two sections of the resistor are connected in parallel relation across the blowout coil 12, whereby. a still lower value of resistance is shunted across the blowout coil to divert a correspondingly larger portion of the control-circuit current from the blowout coil.

Thus, by merely changing the position of the resistance element 31, with respect to the several contact clips, the value of current diverted from the magnetic-blowout coil may be gradually increased in accordance with the increased number of seriesrelated control units or vehicles, as will be evident from an application of Ghms law to the circuits illustrated in Fig. 2 to Fig. 5,

inclusive, whereby the desired substantially constant-current value is maintained, at all times, through the magnetic-blowout coil 12.

By reason of such maintenance of constant current value in the blowout coil, the total magnetic-blowout effect is directly proportional to the current in the arc to be ex tin uished, as previously pointed out.

eference may now be had to Fig. 6, wherein the modified apparatus shown comprises the blowout coil 12 and thevariable resistor 13, which is mounted upon a suitable base-plate 44. In the present instance, the resistor maintains the form of a tubular resistance element, but only two contact clips 49 and 50 are necessary to permanently engage band terminals 33 and 32 of the re sistance element 31, which is provided with the intermediate band terminal 34.

In its present form, my invention does not require the removal or change of position of the resistance element that was described in connection with the previous figures. To produce the desired result, a plurality of spaced contact members or terminals 51, 52, 53 and 54, corresponding, respectively, to l-car, 2-car, 3-car and 4-car operation, are provided, while the intermediate band terminal 34 is permanently connected, through conductor 55, to one end of the blowout coil 12, and the other end of the blowout coil is connected, through a flexible conductor 56, to a movable spring-contact clip 57 which may be manually connected to any one of the contact terminals 51 to 54, inclusive.

lVithout further description, it will be evident that, by securing the contact clip 57 to the terminal 51, corresponding to l-car operation, the resistance element 31 is opencircuited; by connecting the clip to contact terminal 52, the major portion of the resistance element isshunted across the blowout coil 12; while the further manipulation of the movable contact clip efiects exactly similar results to those previously described for 3-car and 4-car operation. Thus, the apparatus shown in Fig. 6 permits the desired maintenance of substantially constant current through the magnetic blowout coil 12, irrespective of the number of series-related control units or vehicles, by merely shifting the position of the contact clip 57.

In Fig. 8, a modified form of shunting resistor 13 is illustrated, comprising a tubular resistance element 45,- which is provided with end band terminals 46 and 47 for permanently engaging contact clips 49 and 50, and a plurality of irregularly spaced intermediate band terminals 58, 59 and 60. A plurality of contact terminals 61, 62, 63, 64 and 65, respectively corresponding to l-car 2-car, 3-car, 4-car and 5-ca-r operation, are respectively secured to the base-plate 44 and to the band terminals 46,58, 59 and 60.

The stationary contact clip 50 is permanently connected, through conductor 66, to one end of the blowout coil 12, while the other end of the coil is again connected, through the flexible conductor 56,- to the movable contact clip 57. The preferred relative resistance values are as follows: The resistance of the entire element between the end terminals 46 and 47 is approximately equal to that of the blowout coil 12, while the contact terminals 63, 64 and 65 are and oi the reclip 57 to the terminals 62, 63, 64 and 65 4 introduces successively decreased values of resistance across the magnetic-blowout coil 12 and thus diverts more and more of the control-circuit current, as the number of cars to be operated is increased.

I do not wish to be restricted to the specific structural details or arrangement of parts herein set forth, as various further modifications thereof may be eiiected with out departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a multiple-unit system of control, the combination with a common controller for such units and a magnetic-blowout coil for said controller, of means comprising a resistor that is bodily movable to shunt said coil to maintain a substantially constant current therein, irrespective of the number of series-related control units.

2. In a multiple-unit system of control, the combination with a common controller for such units having circuit-interrupting contact members and a magnetic-blowout coil for extinguishing the are caused by such interruption, or" means comprising a resistor that is bodily movable to vary the total magnetic-blowout eilect in said controller, in proportion to the currents traversing such arcs, irrespective of the number of series-related control units.

3. In a multiple-unit system of control, the combination with a common controller for such units and a magnetic-blowout coil for said controller, of a resistor, a plurality of terminal members cooperating therewith, and means for connecting various combinations of said terminal members to said blowout coil to maintain a substantially constant current therethrough, irrespective of the number of series-related control units.

4. In a multiple-unit system of control, the combination with a common controller for such units and a magnetic-blowout coil for said controller, of a resistor, a plurality of terminal members cooperating therewith, and means, dependent upon the relative position of said resistor and said terminal members, for maintaining the current through said blowout coil substantially constant, irrespective of the number of seriesrelated control units.

4; 1,354,1es V I o. In a multiple-unit system of control, the combination with a common controller for such units and a magnetic-blowout coil for said controller, of a tubular resistance 5 element having a plurality of irregularly spaced band terminals, a plurality of, stationary contact clips irregularly spaced to engage various combinations of said terminals, and means for connecting saidblowout coil to certain of said clips. 10

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed-'my name this 15th day of Sept,

JOHN A; oLARKn-Ja 

